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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 3rd, 2022–Mar 4th, 2022

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

North Rockies.

Watch for unstable snow in steep wind-affected terrain and sun-exposed slopes.

Confidence

Moderate -

Weather Forecast

THURSDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy skies, light wind from the northwest, treeline temperatures drop to -12 C.

FRIDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, light wind from the northwest, treeline temperatures around -8 C.

SATURDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, light wind from the northwest, treeline temperatures around -10 C.

SUNDAY: Mostly sunny, light wind from the northwest, treeline temperatures around -6 C.

Avalanche Summary

A few small (size 1) slab avalanches were triggered by skiers in the McGregors on Wednesday and there is evidence of a few size 1-2 snowmobile triggered avalanches at Renshaw from a few days ago. Recent slabs have beem 30 cm thick and mostly occurred on north and east facing slopes. A few small loose avalanches were also observed across the region over the past few days.

Snowpack Summary

Recent storm snow has settled into 10 to 30 cm of heavy powder at upper elevations and moist/crusty snow at lower elevations. This snow covers a variety of hard layers, including wind-affected snow on alpine slopes and sun crusts on south-facing slopes. The lower snowpack is generally strong and bonded.

Terrain and Travel

  • Be careful with wind loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and roll-overs.
  • Minimize exposure to sun-exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong.
  • Be alert to conditions that change with aspect and elevation.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.